Heights
by ZIRS
Summary: A one-shot that a vision of Rukia in my head yesterday inspired.. It's the idea that heights are relative, connected by how they make us feel.


Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach! Characters may be a little OOC, but I'll try to avoid that!

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She let out a deep sigh as she took in the view of Karakura. The vantage point of the campus' highest rooftop gave her a sweeping panoramic of the quietly bustling city she had grown to love in the few months that she'd been a resident. Standing there, she felt light, free of the burdens that typically weighed on her shoulders; she was no one. She reached a hand out as if she could touch the city like some great, giant being, but her fingertips only met with the cold chain link fence that ran the perimeter of her sanctuary.

He looked up at her profile and could tell her eyes spoke of longing. As he sat with his back against the fence, he wasn't certain at what she was looking specifically, but having lived in the same small town his entire life, he knew it couldn't possibly be anything so existential.

He hadn't known her for very long and could barely guess the meaning behind such a countenance. The wind sweeping her black locks to gently caress her face did little to diminish the sadness he felt from her. He cast his eyes downward to pull his troubling thoughts away from becoming too curious, just as a gust of wind whipped through to flip her skirt and give him more than a mere peek of her cheek. Flushing red, he quickly averted his attention to his bag of lunch items from the cafeteria. He inserted a straw into her juice box and held it up to her.

"Oi, midget."

She turned to berate him for insulting her when she noticed his pallor, the bags underneath his eyes. She realized that the only reason why she felt so relieved of her burdens was because he was now carrying them, against his will, on top of everything else in his life.

"Do you want it or not?" He gestured for her to take it once more.

She blinked a few times before she mumbled, "I'm sorry, Ichigo."

She grabbed the juice box and faced away from him to sip it, in hopes that the guilt she felt wasn't too evident on her features.

"Why're you bein so shy? It's just a stupid juice box, and probably not the last one I'll have to open for you either."

He hissed when she kicked him with the side of her foot. How could he be in such good humor with all that she had forced upon him?

"Shut up, idiot. You don't get it."

Confused, he stood up to face her. She hated to admit it, but the way he towered over her sometimes was intimidating. Avoiding his gaze, she noticed how broad his shoulders were; this never occurred to her when she rode on his back as they hunted hollows, even though she felt their strength beneath her hands. He rested his forearm on the fence, gripping it in his palm until his knuckles turned white. She then noticed the strength in his hands as well.

"Tell me what I don't get, Rukia."

His command astonished her, left her speechless for a few seconds. His inner eyebrows scrunched upwards as his amber eyes shone with concern. She couldn't look at him. Instead, she peered out towards the landscape again, hoping for the courage and inspiration to answer him.

"I won't tell you if you're going to have that goofy look on your face!" she reasoned with a huff.

"Goofy...?! You bitch!"

She gave him a mischievous smirk and absentmindedly played with the straw in her mouth. She was so unwittingly seductive, he became ticked off that he knew he wouldn't have been the only male feeling both his chest and his pants tighten, given the same scenario. _Teenage hormones_ , he rationalized.

Not wanting to let her see him blush, he gathered the remainder of their lunch and started walking towards the stairs, just as the bell rang.

"Move those short legs of yours faster or else you'll be late for class," he called out behind him.

She jogged to catch up to him, elbowing him firmly in the side as she passed.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, even if it was sort of fluffy. I think I love the dynamic between these two because there is always something in between the lines, and it's fun to fill in your own interpretation :P Thanks for reading! Please R&R!


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